This is the first ice cream I ever made at home and is totally delicious. I adapted the recipe from Jeni's book. The toasted rice is cooked to al dente and makes for a really interesting texture...ice cream that wants to be chewed. Use all organic ingredients for the best results.

This is the first ice cream I ever made at home and is totally delicious. I adapted the recipe from Jeni's book. The toasted rice is cooked to al dente and makes for a really interesting texture...ice cream that wants to be chewed. Use all organic ingredients for the best results.

Toast the rice in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, shaking the pan and stirring the rice occasionally until evenly toasted and the color of brown sugar.

Reduce the heat to low, add the coconut milk and sugar. Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and rice is al dente. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking or burning.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Prep for Ice Cream Base

Mix about 2 tbsp of the milk with the tapioca starch in a very small bowl to make a slurry.

Remove from the heat, add the tea, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Strain the infused milk mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on the tea leaves to extract as much liquid as possible. Return to the saucepan and gradually mix in the tapioca starch slurry (mix this again before adding).

Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a spatula, until slightly thickened -- about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Chilling the Ice Cream Base

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the rice pudding and blend well.

Pour the mixture into a Ziploc freezer bag and quickly submerge in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice if necessary, until base is chilled -- about 30 minutes.

While spinning use a spatula to remove ice cream from the sides of the cannister as the dasher (on most ice cream makers) doesn't touch the side enough to remove frozen product. This will help decrease the total freezing time.

Pack the thick & creamy ice cream into a plastic storage container. Press a piece of parchment paper on the top surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of the freezer until firm -- about 4 hours.

I like to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Usually I go by memory, but I also use recipes from various sources. I wanted to make this site to keep everything in one place and to keep track of the changes that make the food taste best. Also I'd like this to be a place that my friends and family can learn more about me through the food I make.